Animal Collective - Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished (2000)

Actually by Avey Tare and Panda Bear but I like keeping things tidy. Having a love-hate relationship with the band, I feel like I can't say THIS IS THEIR BEST, but I'll happily write I THINK THIS ONE IS THEIR BEST instead!

I promise the noise will eventually make sense, and if you stick it out 'til that happens, you might end up agreeing with me. Any feeling I might have that I'm being contrarian (it's a polarizing one), or relying on vibes rather than sense (I do that often, and Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished has REAL good vibes), is put to rest by the songs Alvin Row and Penny Dreadfuls. The former is a perfect indie rock song which could go on for hours and I'd keep listening. They try me for 12 minutes and I stand by that until they give up. The latter is the skeleton of the kind of song they'd later jam on and build up, but seems perfect to me as a rough draft. The thin textures, spare arrangement, and uncomfortable low-singing (don't be so shy!) with affecting outbursts (LEAVE MY BOY ALONE!) make it seem rather personal to ol' Panda, or just an enticing mix of strangeness and enigmatic purpose. I don't care. I'm moved every time!

A+

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